Director, Construction (Data Centers)

Location: Edmonton, Alberta

Location

Edmonton - 202, 5103 Windermere Blvd. SW

Our Company

BGRE is a premier, global real estate partner to the world’s most ambitious businesses. It operates and develops the real estate they rely on to grow with conviction across markets and sectors. The company combines global scale with deep local expertise, managing more than 260 MSF of office, logistics, hospitality, retail and living space in gateway markets around the world on behalf of Brookfield. Supported by thousands of employees worldwide, BGRE is committed to building strong partnerships, operating sustainably and creating places where people can work, live, connect and thrive. For more information, visit bgre.com.

Job Description

Logistics moves the world. BGRE Keeps it moving – on-the-ground teams across continents, with the proven operating expertise and responsiveness needed to take businesses wherever their growth leads.

We are seeking a Director, Construction to join BGRE in Edmonton, AB. In this role, you will play a key role in inspiring change and continual improvement. If you are committed to excellence and ready to contribute to a dynamic culture, we would love to meet you.

This role will provide senior owner-side construction leadership for the hyperscale data center campus in the Edmonton region, Alberta, including oversight, coordination and integration of the GC/EPC, designers, tenant, utilities and key vendors. The campus is expected to be developed in phases from an initial ~300 MW IT load across four data halls toward a long-term campus capacity in excess of 1 GW.

BGRE acts as Developer and Development Manager on the project, coordinating the owner, power provider, tenant and construction interfaces into a single delivery program. This position provides the construction leadership within that structure: resident full-time at the project site, leading the site delivery organization, and overseeing and challenging the GC/EPC from mobilization through commissioning, Ready for Service and handover, while the GC/EPC retains responsibility for construction execution, means and methods, subcontractors and field safety.

This role will validate construction cost forecasts, physical progress and schedule performance and provide construction inputs to Project Controls, FP&A and lender-draw processes.

This person will lead the construction team, including internal resources and third-party vendors, and report construction progress, schedule, cost impacts, site risks, contractor performance and key decisions to the SVP, Data Center Development Lead, while coordinating with the dedicated design, procurement and Project Controls leads.

This role will also lead the onsite interface for tenant fit-out and ensure tenant requirements are integrated through the approved budget, schedule and change-control processes.

This professional must understand the construction process for mission-critical data center facilities, anticipate issues and drive practical solutions. The role must also be able to plan for Alberta winter conditions, identify impacts early and drive mitigation and recovery plans to protect the approved schedule.

The role will prepare weekly construction reporting covering activities completed, the two-week look-ahead, physical progress, key risks and mitigation actions, supporting a single source of truth with controlled gates and 48-hour executive escalation.

This person will be resident full-time at the construction site, with BGRE office support in Edmonton.

Role & Responsibilities:

Delivery leadership

• Serve as BGRE’s senior onsite construction lead, reporting to the SVP, Data Center Development Lead, and coordinating closely with BGRE senior leadership, the Owner and other project stakeholders, including MEP, procurement, H&S, quality, commissioning, tenant-interface and project-governance leads.
• Review construction readiness across design, permitting, procurement, power and site-enabling workstreams and escalate unresolved issues affecting field execution.
• Coordinate overall construction-site planning, including site logistics, laydown, temporary works and interfaces between concurrent work fronts.
• Support mobilization and early works, including clearing, grading, utilities, paving and fencing.

Procurement and contracting

• Lead the construction and technical evaluation of EPC/GC procurement and support award recommendations, subject to BGRE/Owner approval authorities, including technical review, bid normalization and a documented recommendation on the preferred vendor.
• Review and challenge trade procurement and buyout for civil, structural, electrical and other major packages within the GC/EPC scope.
• Coordinate construction requirements for electrical and mechanical equipment procured within BGRE/Owner-approved scope.
• Support vendor qualification and prequalification.
• Coordinate and support the Owner’s retained procurement of substation and major electrical equipment; this role does not assume purchaser responsibility for these items.
• Manage the site-side interface for owner-furnished equipment (OFCI), if applicable, including delivery coordination and support for FAT and incoming inspection against specification.

Cost, schedule and controls

• Provide construction inputs to the Project Controls framework covering schedule, cost-to-complete, commitments, cash flow, change orders, risk and mitigation.
• Drive construction performance against the approved project baseline schedule and budget, as updated through approved change control.
• Identify cost gaps, omissions, scope inconsistencies and emerging budget pressures and escalate them promptly to Project Controls, FP&A and project leadership.
• Identify emerging construction risks, quantify potential schedule and cost impacts and drive mitigation or recovery actions.
• Interrogate the GC/EPC CPM schedule, including critical and near-critical paths, float erosion and recovery plans.
• Validate physical progress, milestone achievement and percent-complete assumptions supporting invoice approvals and lender draws.
• Provide weekly construction and onsite activity reporting, including physical progress, key risks and a two-week look-ahead.

Technical scope and critical systems

• Oversee construction and installation of critical systems, including medium- and high-voltage distribution, switchgear, generators, UPS, cooling infrastructure, BMS and EPMS.
• Manage the construction-side interface with the power provider on substation works, energization sequencing and grid-connection milestones, supporting the energization target for contracted power.
• Coordinate tenant-driven changes through the formal design, cost, schedule and approval/change-control process before execution.
• Lead owner-side construction coordination through L1-L5 commissioning, energization, integrated systems testing, tenant acceptance and RFS, working with the commissioning agent, GC/EPC, OEMs and tenant.
• Coordinate tenant fit-out through inspections, FAT/SAT and handover in accordance with approved design, budget, schedule and change-control requirements.
• Plan and execute winter and adverse-weather works, including temporary heat, hoarding and cold-weather concrete practices.

Quality, safety and compliance

• Oversee construction and installation of critical systems, including medium- and high-voltage distribution, switchgear, generators, UPS, cooling infrastructure, BMS and EPMS.
• Manage the construction-side interface with the power provider on substation works, energization sequencing and grid-connection milestones, supporting the energization target for contracted power.
• Coordinate tenant-driven changes through the formal design, cost, schedule and approval/change-control process before execution.
• Lead owner-side construction coordination through L1-L5 commissioning, energization, integrated systems testing, tenant acceptance and RFS, working with the commissioning agent, GC/EPC, OEMs and tenant.
• Coordinate tenant fit-out through inspections, FAT/SAT and handover in accordance with approved design, budget, schedule and change-control requirements.
• Plan and execute winter and adverse-weather works, including temporary heat, hoarding and cold-weather concrete practices.

• Continuous improvement

• Identify and recommend practical alternatives that improve schedule, cost, constructability, quality or risk.
• Provide feedback to the design team and carry lessons learned into subsequent phases and projects.
• Identify material vendor performance concerns and escalate them with recommended corrective action.

Your Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Architecture, Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering is required
• P.Eng. registration with APEGA, PMP, Gold Seal Certification and/or NCSO is strongly preferred
• Minimum 10 years of construction leadership experience, including significant senior responsibility on large, complex mission-critical or hyperscale data center projects.
• Demonstrated senior delivery responsibility on multiple large mission-critical or data-center projects strongly preferred, including ideally at least one hyperscale or campus-scale development.
• Experience leading a site delivery organization, not only as an individual contributor.
• Significant prior field leadership experience with a GC/EPC strongly preferred.
• Experience in a project-management position.
• Experience under an EPC or owner’s representative delivery model is strongly preferred
• Experience delivering in Alberta or Western Canada is strongly preferred
• Experience on campus-scale or multi-phase developments where construction continues alongside live, operating facilities is considered an asset
• Meaningful experience managing construction through commissioning, energization, IST, tenant acceptance and RFS.
• Deep understanding of the data center construction process, including critical electrical and mechanical systems.
• Working knowledge of medium- and high-voltage construction, substation delivery and utility energization sequencing.
• Familiarity with commissioning protocols for mission-critical facilities (L1-L5).
• Experience with relevant construction/project-management platforms such as P6, SAP, Procore, Autodesk Construction Cloud, Unifier or equivalent.
• Experience managing owner-furnished equipment and long-lead procurement interfaces.
• Strong working relationships with major GCs, designers, OEMs and data-center vendors.
• Understanding of material quality and general specifications.
• Ability to independently interrogate and challenge CPM schedules, critical path, float and recovery plans.
• Risk management and risk-mapping skills.
• Cold-weather and winter construction planning experience.
• Executive presence and strong stakeholder management across owner, tenant, contractor and utility interfaces.
• Strong organization skills with a high-accountability mindset.

Your Career @ BGRE:

At BGRE, your career progression is important to us. As a successful employee, you will have the opportunity to grow within your team, department, and across the Brookfield organization. Our leadership teams are dedicated to the accomplishments of their employees. We also invest time into training and developing our people.

End your job search and find your career today, at BGRE.

Why BGRE?

We imagine, create, and operate on a foundation of values to build a better world, together. BGRE strives to create spaces where going to work never feels routine. As a BGRE employee, you will enjoy many benefits such as Group RRSP, tuition reimbursement, summer Fridays, paid maternity leave and more. There is also a generous employee referral program because we want our existing team members to help us build a more diverse workplace through their networks.

Compensation & Benefits:

Salary Type: Exempt

Medical & Pharmacy Coverage: Yes, under Brookfield Medical Plan

Dental Coverage: Yes, under Brookfield Medical Plan

Vision Coverage: Yes, under Brookfield Medical Plan

Retirement: Group RRSP

Insurance: Employer-paid life & short/long term disability

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Position Opening Reason:

New Position

We are proud to create a diverse environment and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are grateful for your interest in this position, however, only candidates selected for pre-screening will be contacted.

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